Complaints and Concerns

Complaints about Education and Care Services

The Education Directorate has the authority to receive and investigate complaints about education and care services in the ACT (including long day care, family day care, outside school hours care, playschools, occasional care, public and independent preschools) under the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Act 2011 and the Children and Young People Act 2008.

The Children's Education & Care Assurance (CECA) will receive complaints from any person with a concern that relates to:

Non-compliance with the education and care legislation; or

Health, safety or wellbeing of children or a child attending a service.

Prior to contacting the Children's Education & Care Assurance (CECA), it would normally be expected that you had discussed your concerns with the service and attempted to resolve the issue.

If you have been unable to resolve the issue with the service, or there are circumstances where it is not possible or appropriate for the complaint to be managed at the local level, a complaint may be made to the Children’s Education & Care Assurance on (02) 6207 1114.

Please Note: the Unit does not deal with complaints about public schools. For enquires and complaints about schools please see the Contact Us page.

Complaints will be:

Reviewed for potential non-compliance with the relevant legislation;

Assessed for risk to the health, safety or wellbeing of any child; and

Investigated, as required, by an authorised officer.

Please note that the Children's Education & Care Assurance (CECA) is unable to investigate complaints regarding fees, waiting lists or priority of access, unless they also relate to a service's obligations under the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Act 2011 or the Children and Young People Act 2008.

Other agencies that may be able to assist:

Commonwealth Department of Education for concerns relating to priority of access